JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG

WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL RICHARD E GERSTEIN JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG. THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO JUSTICE BUILDING RUMOR, HUMOR, AND A DISCUSSION ABOUT AND BETWEEN THE JUDGES, LAWYERS AND THE DEDICATED SUPPORT STAFF, CLERKS, COURT REPORTERS, AND CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS WHO LABOR IN THE WORLD OF MIAMI'S CRIMINAL JUSTICE. POST YOUR COMMENTS, OR SEND RUMPOLE A PRIVATE EMAIL AT HOWARDROARK21@GMAIL.COM. Winner of the prestigious Cushing Left Anterior Descending Artery Award.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

LIES; DAMN LIES ...AND

STATISTICS!!

As first reported on the Broward Blog here are the acquittal rates for defendants after jury trials :

July 2007-June 2007

Miami Dade: Circuit 30%; County 49%

Broward: Circuit 40%; County 75%

Orange/Osceola: Circuit 40%; County 61%

The title of the post links to the Florida State Courts Web Site (who even knew THAT existed? Wonder how much money they're spending on that?) 


There's lots of fun statistics on the site that we're going to play with. Stay tuned

TOTAL COURT FILINGS:
Total court filings for the year range from a low of  18,015 in the 16th Circuit (Monroe- but the Keys shouldn't count) and 36,942 in the 3rd Circuit (Motto: "Hey, Y'all!!!) which includes Dixie, Columbia, Suwannee, Madison,  Hamilton, Lafayette, and Taylor counties, to a high of .....drum roll please: 977,788 cases in our own Miami Dade. We're number one!!! Of the 977,788 cases in the 11th Circuit, County Court constituted 836,191 cases. Lesson: stop scoffing at those practitioners in county court, they know something you don't.  If you're going fishing, might as well fish in the waters that are well stocked. 

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Those 800,000+ suits in Miami-Dade County are mainly PIP suits -- nice medical bill cases against insurance companies where attorneys fees kick in.

South Florida Lawyers said...

Don't forget foreclosures.

Anonymous said...

12:12--plus a number of small claims cases, most of which involve pro se litigants.

That being said, in response to yesterday's post, the misdemeanor and DUI defense (County Court) has picked up lately. I've noticed that in the big cases (homicides, sex crimes, gun crimes) the families just cannot and will not come up with money in a lot of instances. It used to be that if Johnny was going to jail, family members would tap their savings, take out a home equity loan, borrow from family, etc. to pay my fee. They are a lot less willing--or a lot less able--to do so now.

Anonymous said...

The morose, sad, Fake Jay White, who posts on sundays lamenting the fact that there are no more dolphin games is rapidly becoming my favorite character on this blog.

I also like real fake blecher and dislike fake blecher as most people do. Blecher himself is aok.

Anonymous said...

I think fake alschuler. fake risivy, and eyeonshumie are the best, in that order. real fake blecher in top ten along with fake sad jay white.

Anonymous said...

Rumpole let's take a poll on how many think that if Joel Brown gets elected chief judge that Slom will get screwed and sent to civil and Pooler will be Administrative Judge. I vote that it is a certainty. The deal has been cut and Slom hasn't a clue.

Anonymous said...

EYEONSHUMIE

always watching......

Anonymous said...

Fake Risivy way way underrated. Bears watching.

Fake sad jay- kinda funny.

Fake blech- annoying as usual.

Eyeonshumie- right on brother.

Anonymous said...

Now wait just a cotton picking minute. (smack..,chomp) I mean (smack) there's more to this (chomp) then meets the eye. They only want to negotiate voltage and I think (smack..chomp) I do a pretty good job.

Maybe a state continuance until this gets sorted out???

Anonymous said...

Now this is the blog I love. Where you guys been?


rofl.

Anonymous said...

The thing about eyeonshumie is that there is a big difference between shumie and shumie time, and never the twain shall meet.

One is an attorney in Miami, the other is a key west state of mind. Shumie is shumie, but shumie time rules.

Anonymous said...

Now that Migna is Judge what will we do with that hit song?

Anonymous said...

Stats make sense.

Broward tries way too many weak cases.

What the stats don't show is that Miami SAO makes better plea offers so they don't have to go to trial on bad cases.

Anonymous said...

R

Since this is called 'Lies' & since you're running a cj poll, can you explain that no cj has the authority to order judges to take the bench on time, according to the Rules. Some reader yesterday requested that. Also, just for giggles how many PAs are late for court, keeping clients waiting and how many PAs are kept waiting because ASAs are late? If judges are late and inconvenience PAs, PDs & ASAs then report it and name names. Sometimes comments here go off topic and unchecked. Where are you on this?

Anonymous said...

Will we know who voted and who did not? How about who they voted for is that public?

Anonymous said...

With a 70 % acquittal rate, looks like broward asa's either can't try a case or bring a lot of garbage to trial. Probably both. When is Satz out of office

Anonymous said...

County court ASA's in Broward will not nolle prosse a case when they are not ready. They will make you go to trial and get a JOA. That way, it is the judge who dumps the case and not them. In Dade, those cases would count as nolle prosses or state-requested dismissals. In Broward, they count as acquittals.

Another reason for the high acquittal rate in Broward is their SAO's policy to let the jury sort things out when defendants are either innocent or the evidence against them is very weak.

The Professor said...

Katie, Katie say it ain't so. Joel, I have been out there carrying this heavy load of water for you. Tell me you won't desert me. Tell me that I will be the administrative judge forever. I have sent email and confronted Ivan directly for you. If you lose I am screwed and if I win I am screwed. Whoa is me.